(a) Field
The subject matter disclosed generally relates to water turbines.
(b) Related Prior Art
Conventional turbines used to regulate water flow in hydro-electric production are being controlled using oil-based hydraulic motors to open and close the turbine blades. These hydraulic systems include contaminants such as hydraulic oil in the pressurized lines, pumps and reservoirs required to sustain the system's operation. These contaminants are present in large quantities and may reach up to 30,000 liters in an average dam.
The major disadvantage associated with this type of motors is the leakage of contaminants such as hydraulic oil into the water.
Excessive oil leakage occurs during normal operations for example during maintenance, or in normal operations due to the age of the system (some systems have been in operation for over 75 years). When the leakage occurs, the oil is released into the environment, polluting the river source.
In addition, major system failures (caused by river debris passing through upstream filtering, irregular water flow or mechanical failure in the system) can cause a major backflow of pressure, thereby submersing the entire turbine and turbine flow control system, and releasing significant amounts of oil from the hydraulic system into the river causing severe environmental damage.
Therefore, there remains a need for a hydro-electric production system which is environment friendly and at the same time submersible to replace the existing systems.